Become simple and elemental

Matthew 18:4 Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God's kingdom.

Working in MS last week, on Katrina relief, has felt just like an "elemental experience"! I even mentioned this verse to some people who were working there with me, and it connected with their experience, too. Here's why I think this was an elemental week:

1. I actually was in the elements a lot. Though we were working in homes, much of our work brought us outside, and even indoors, we had all the windows opened. We were constantly in and out; when it rained, we got wet.

2. I was working with my hands, slapping mud (mortar) on the floor, cutting tile with a wet saw, laying the tile, smearing on the grout and wiping it off. Very tactile. Even though we did use a lot of machines -- power tools and such -- there's something basic about doing stuff with your hands.

3. I was in a new place, away from my home and usual connections and associations. There's a freshness, a basic experience of being in the world, when we're away from our routines and all those reminders of who we are supposed to be.

4. Our accommodations were very basic: metal bunkbeds with small foam mattresses, sleeping in sleeping bags, the bathrooms were across the compound, we ate in a big room all together. It was kind of like adult camp.

5. Because I was far away from my usual context, I was also kind of disconnected from the past, and too busy to think about the future, in a kind of "free" zone. Tasks kept me very present oriented, and being in the moment is about as elemental as it gets.

6. Basically, I was an apprentice, in a position of learning from others, most of them decades younger than me. I was doing something I don't normally do, that I am definitely not expert in.

7. I worked really hard every day, feeling quite tired by the end of it. That kept me in touch with my body and how it works, what it needs, how to take care of it.

8. The satisfactions I came away with were also elemental: a job well done; helping others. There was nothing fancy, no big accomplishments. Didn't even get to see the complete finish of the job we were on, so the successes were small, moment to moment things.

9. I wasn't responsible for anything, except showing up and working. At home, there are so many things I am involved in, there's always a list in my head; I am always juggling things that need to get done. This was simple and basic: follow the routine, show up, do your best, your time off's your own. In that way it was a real break from business as usual.

It's easy to lose touch with what is simple and elemental in our complicated lives, and last week was a great reminder of what is simple about living. Showing up, doing your best, taking care of yourself and your community. Sharing. Giving. Serving. I guess that's why I keep going back.

Prayer: Dear God, It's so easy to get caught up in the complexities of life and forget the basics. Help me remember what is simple and real, and stay connected to that when life gets complicated. Amen.

Put yourself aside

Philippians 2:3-4 Put yourself aside and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

This has got to be some of the most counter-cultural advice ever given! In our achievement obsessed culture, where "greed is good", and the game is played precisely to get your own advantage, the suggestion that you "forget yourself" is blasphemy. Helping others get ahead is helping the competition get the better of you. Corporations keep their advances secret so that, with the element of surprise, they can catch their competition flatfooted and race ahead. Yet here we have again one of the many paradoxes of Christian faith, of the spiritual path: that by helping others, you yourself will gain what is of most value, a life to treasure.

I have really been experiencing this lately. Ever since I began to think of my mission in the world, and not just the purpose of my business, I have been energized, seeing opportunities everywhere, and finding so much satisfaction in what I do! In Benjamin and Rosamond Stone Zander's fabulous book, The Art of Possibility, they speak of how seeing things in terms of "Making a Contribution" can bring energy to an otherwise mundane or difficult task. If I see myself as making a contribution, my vision soars beyond the horizon of my own life, I gain a perspective as wide as the world, and there is a glimpse of eternity in that. Paul talks about God being the energy that enters in to fuel the task when we are looking to serve others, and that's about as good an explanation as any. It's energy that charges the ignition, lights the creative fire, gets the juices flowing in a way, for me, that just doesn't happen when it's only about my little business, and making money and getting "what's mine". This element of service brings me into communion with a larger Presence, a greater whole than just my life, or even my family, or even my church community. It somehow places me on the map of all humanity for all time -- and though that is a humbling context to see myself in (VERY humbling! I'm no Catherine of Siena, or even Mother Theresa!) the inspiration of spirit I receive to pursue my very humble purpose brings at once the energy to do what needs to happen, and a sense of gratitude for the very opportunity to be of service, to bear witness. And that gratitude may be the greatest incentive of all.

Prayer: Dear God, I am so grateful for the inspiration to serve You and to serve the world with the skills You have led me to develop. I pray to be worthy of the opportunities You provide, that I not have concern over my own advancement, but only the advancement of Your Kingdom. Amen.

Love like that

Ephesians 5:2 Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us, but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

Love like that, with everything you have. I truly feel this is the road God is bringing me to -- there's a definite theme happening here! -- a process of expressing love in all that I do, a place where my main occupation is sharing that love with the world: in my work with clients, in my friendships, with family members and in my volunteer activities. And in that process, I am hoping to equip people so that they can extend that same love to the lives that they touch. When I am aware of this, when I am fully connected with that sense of purpose, it is the most satisfying, quietly thrilling way I can imagine spending my life! Through it all I get to experience that same love and nurture but because I don't hold on to it but allow it to flow through me, it never gets stuck, stopped up or stagnant. It is the abundant life Jesus talks about, the living water that continually rises up because I am connected to the source; I am living out of that source, the way appliances are fueled when they are plugged into the electrical grid. And it's enough, it's all I need, and I find myself daily truly grateful and content.

Prayer: Dear God, This is a day for joyous thanksgiving for the gifts that you have inspired me to share with the world you love. All I ask is that you continue to renew the joyful gratitude I feel in my heart today. Amen

What we are living for

Ephesians 1:11 It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.

This is certainly where my faith journey has brought me. Lately I've been thinking a lot about my purpose, my mission in life. Working on marketing my business, I have discovered that when I am connected to a purpose, one that goes beyond being successful or not, I get a lot of energy. I think this is what Paul's talking about. Through this process of faithful living, of following Jesus, we find out who we are in Jesus, and what we are living for, that is, how we are engaged in building the Kingdom of God, what part of this huge project of reaching out to the suffering of the world my particular skills fit me for. Now that I am getting a sense of that -- for me it's related to these contemplative practices I love so much, and I would say it's something like inviting people into the dance of life, that is into a deeper, richer and more connected experiencing of their lives -- now that I know what that is, I wake up every morning full of ideas, looking for opportunities, thinking about whose life I can touch today. I understand, now, how in His service is perfect freedom. It makes life so rich! And joyful.

Prayer: Dear God, I thank you for where you have brought me, that you have equipped me to respond to suffering and are providing opportunities to touch people's lives. Truly, my cup runneth over. Amen.

He gives you something to give away

2 Corinthians 9:10 This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives.

This verse really pulled me up short. I am so aware of God's generosity in my life, and this calls me to recognize to what use God wants me to put these gifts -- I am to give them away to others, so that they can realize the fullness of life God wants for them.

I am reminded of the example of Catherine of Siena. She is described as pouring herself out on those in need. The Mother Theresa of her day, she attended to the poor and dying in the streets of Siena, and contemporary observers describe her going days without food or rest, living on air, and on her love for others, her Christian call. She describes at one point exchanging her heart of stone with Christ's human heart of flesh and blood, and with that heart of compassion she reached out to everyone in need. She even called Popes and Bishops to account for their lives!

Do I have it in me to be a Catherine of Siena? Hardly. I've already long outlived her (she died at about 37), and clearly have a long way to go before I pour myself out to the needy of this world. This verse calls me to look at what I do have and see how I can use it in service to the needs of others. With the destruction of Haiti in the news, and the relief flooding in to that impoverished, devastated country, one obvious thing I can do is give money. And I do. But I also look to my other gifts, gifts of education and training, gifts of compassion and insight, of listening, of writing, and others I may not even be aware of. I am called to look for ways to pass those gifts along as well. Like the dead sea, which accumulates toxic salt because there is no outlet, our gifts can prove toxic if we don't freely give them away. Giving produces a beneficial flow, where gifts from others flow in to fill their place. So it is in giving and receiving that we experience Christian community.

Prayer: Dear God, You have showered me with blessings. Teach me how to give them away, so that I may experience the service that is perfect freedom, participate in the building of Your Kingdom and receive the blessing of Your Grace. Amen.

Let us make a name for ourselves

1Maccabees 5:57 So they said, "let us also make a name for ourselves: let us go and make war on the gentiles around us."

1Maccabees was written in the second century B.C.E. and describes the revolt of the Jewish people under the leadership of Matathias and his five sons, the most famous of whom is Judas Maccabeus. The soldiers speaking in the above quote have been duly impressed by Judas' astonishing victories over forces five to ten times as numerous as his own. They are stirred to imitate him. Unfortunately, their intentions are way off. They are not following God, but instead seeking their own glory. As a result, they are doomed to failure.

I think I spent the first half of my life going after the glory. It wasn't fame per se, necessarily, that I was aiming for. I was never particularly ruthless in my ambition, and I imagined there would be benefits to others, but it wasn't about them, it was for me. It was to gratify that inner longing to be seen and recognized. What I didn't understand, and am now just beginning to, is that seeking one's reknown, seeking to be known by the world, seeking to be seen and acknowledged by the people around us does not lead, ultimately, to the most rewarding life. I am very impressed when I come across younger people who have already figured this out. The most rewarding life, the one that Jesus of Christianity calls us to, is to live in service to God, to seek first His Kingdom.

I am reading a wonderful book by the Quaker Richard Foster on The Freedom of Simplicity. One point he makes is that outward simplicity begins with inner simplicity and it is this call to seek God first in all things which moves us toward that inner simplicity. If I have one call, one passion, one direction, that is, to seek God's will for me, rather than my will for myself, to seek His Kingdom first and foremost, that is a point of clarification. What things are unnecessary in the light of that intention? What things lose their importance in the light of that one, sacred purpose? He talks about obedience being the avenue to develop true humility, which leads us to the Joy and Peace that Jesus promises us, that God promises us. I don't think it was an accident that the biggest achievement of my career came after I returned to my faith. And even with that grounding, achieving what I had longed for was often powerfully able to pull me off my intentions, to push my focus away from where God was calling me. It's not that we achieve perfectly our purpose; that, frankly, is impossible. It's that, as Thomas Merton says, "I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you." It's an uncertain path, leading through dark woods, but we are led by the light of faith, and in that we must find hope and contentment.

Prayer: Dear God, I have been stumbling and losing my way. The requirements of life, the needs of the world have pulled me away from reaching toward You. Help me to keep my focus clear. Give me the tools to be mindful of You and where You are calling me. Give me insight to discern where I am serving Your Purposes, and where I am not, and give me the strength to say no to all that pulls me away from Your Path. Amen.

They'll do anything for you

1Kings 12:7 They said, “If you will be a servant to this people, be considerate of their needs and respond with compassion, work things out with them, they’ll end up doing anything for you.”

Solomon has died; his son, Rehoboam is king, and seeks the advice of his elders in response the complaints of the northern tribes. This is what the elders say: treat the people with compassion and they will follow you anywhere. What does he do? He follows the advice of his young cohorts with no experience who are eager to show how tough they are. As a result, he loses the northern tribes to his rival, Jeroboam, and the kingdom is split in two.

The servant leader: how few of our leaders understand the value of this approach. It was Jesus example to his followers, and here we see it modeled in the Jewish tradition as well, the foundation of Jesus’ thought. Leaders often think they need to use power and control to keep people in line: think bosses, coaches, police, parents. Over and over, however, people find that by interacting with those you serve/have power over, by establishing good relationships you end up having more influence for the good, than if you try to force people just to do what you want. I think of programs where the police work with the community to combat crime, instead of holding the community hostage. I think of Phil Jackson, who showed you don’t have to browbeat your players to get excellence. The funny thing is, as soon as he has one losing season, after a nearly unprecedented winning streak (don’t know enough basketball to be certain of this) his whole method is discounted, whereas all those other teams that are losing are using the power and control method, and yet it isn’t discounted. The difficult thing is that in some ways, using power and control works; it initially gets people to respond. The downside is that when you are ruling with fear you constrict people’s creativity and productivity, and you are filling a well with resentment. It is especially true with parents. You can get your little children to do what you want (though they may fight and scream) by using physical and emotional force, but there will come a time when they are too old for that, and if you haven’t established a strong relationship by that time, you’ll lose them. They’ll rebel, just like the northern tribes, and head out on their own, often into worse trouble than what you’ve been trying to keep them from.

Prayer: Dear God, You have invited me into opportunities for leadership. Help me remember that my duty as a leader is to serve those I lead, to care for their needs and inspire them to do their best. Call me into the power to fulfill your mission for me, and for them. Amen.